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Rate Your Local Police website reaches second anniversary
28 June 2012
INDEPENDENT mystery customer website Rateyourlocalpolice.co.uk – the first of its kind related to police - reaches its two-year anniversary early next month.
Since its inception in July 2010, the site has proved popular with communities in the West Midlands and offers an additional route for giving feedback alongside the more established methods such as letters, phone calls and emails.
The site allows the public, anonymously if they wish, to score the service received from officers and staff and see what everyone else is saying about their local police too.
Over 960 people have taken time to send in their comments so far on a wide range of policing areas – from calling the main switchboard through to the service received out on the street, at the scene of an accident or in a police station front office.
Good or bad, the aim of the website is to provide members of the public with the chance to say exactly what they think about policing in their area. This feedback is then forwarded to the local station for officers to post a reply and take action as appropriate.
Earlier this month, a Wolverhampton resident wrote: "Rang 101 for the first time, got put through to someone at Wolverhampton. We had 4 young lads outside our home making me feel very uneasy... and as I live by garages I had some concerns…
"Within a couple of minutes there was a police van checking out the garages and street, what a fast response! Made me feel safe and secure in my home, felt proud of the police force that they had responded to my concerns. Well done you guys! Keep up the great work! And thank you."
The force's Professional Standards Department (PSD) works alongside officers and staff to improve customer satisfaction in the way the force delivers its services.
As part of this remit PSD now oversees Rate Your Local Police - assessing the comments as they come in and facilitating a bespoke, timely response from local officers.
The site allows force departments and local policing units (LPUs) to recognise good work in-house and also identify local concerns and key themes where feedback is negative, taking positive action to address the issue.
Superintendent Rachel Jones, head of PSD, explains: "We receive lots of positive comments which show how our officers and staff are getting it right first time and advocating the force values as they go about their daily business.
"Where negative feedback is concerned, service recovery is crucial at the earliest opportunity so that we can put the 'wheel back on' for the complainant and meet their needs appropriately.
"Rate Your Local Police is an excellent way of monitoring our customer service and ensuring that we remain open and transparent in the way we are continually striving to improve the way we work with communities to make our neighbourhoods safer, more pleasant places to live."
To see what people are saying about their experiences of policing in your area, please visit www.rateyourlocalpolice.co.uk
